History of English Literature

Mid-Term 1

Fill in the blanks with words from the list (3.5 marks)

after, ancestors, appreciative, bards, characteristics, chiefs, earliest, growth,

movements, occupied, phases, presents, through, tongue

English was the common name and tongue of these tribes. And the land which they
occupied was called Engle-land (now: England).

Some of the Anglo-Saxon chiefs were also bards.

Some of these phases are named after certain literary movements, such as the
Romantic Age.

The earliest phase of English literature started with the Angles and Saxons (the
ancestors of the English race).

The history of English literature has passed through many phases. Each phase has its
own characteristics.

The people in Denmark are very appreciative and send Beowulf home with many
presents

These literary phases are also named after centuries, such as the Seventeenth Century
Literature.

With these Periods or Ages, we can follow the growth of English literature.

Say whether the following statements are True or False (2 marks)

A decade is a period of five years. F

A millennium is a period of one thousand years. T

Beowulf is dissimilar to Antara Ibn Shaddad’s poetry. F

Beowulf is the longest lyric poem in Old English with about 3,000 lines! F

1
Britain was a Roman Empire province in the past. T

Old English is very much like the language we speak today. F

Romantic writers highlighted feeling and imagination. T

The people in Denmark celebrated the killing of Grendel. T

Match parts of sentences in A with their completion in B (2 marks)

A B
1- After many years of peace,… a- who rules over the Geats near
2- Beowulf goes to Denmark with a Denmark.
group of soldiers… b- Beowulf kills the dragon.
3- In a brutal battle,… c- and says he'll help get rid of
4- The hero of the poem is a prince Grendel.
named Beowulf… d- a dragon attacks Beowulf's
kingdom.

A 1 2 3 4
B d c b a

Answer the following questions (3.5 marks)

What are the 3 Germanic tribes that invaded England?

1- Angles 2- Saxons 3- Jutes

Describe them using 3 adjectives

1- fearless 2- adventurous 3- brave

What are the 3 countries that make up Great Britain?

1- England 2- Scotland 3- Wales

2
This is a riddle

What is literature?

Literature is the collected creative writing of a nation, people, group, or culture.

It includes novels, plays, poems, short stories, etc…

Fill in the table with the appropriate synonyms (4 marks)

as a result, awareness, cruel, heavenly, holy, immortal, intelligence, intuition,

knowledge, perception, so, spiritual, supernatural, therefore, understanding, violent,
without feelings

insight divine thus brutal

- awareness - heavenly -as a result - cruel

- intelligence - holy - so - violent

- intuition - holy - therefore - without feelings

- knowledge - spiritual

- perception - supernatural

- understanding